stay
/steɪ/verb, noun, particle, adjective, adverb
stay is spelled S-T-A-Y: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 214 times per million words in written English, the 471st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, stay means “To remain in a particular place, especially for a definite or short period of time; sojourn; abide” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in stay?
| Letters | 4: S-T-A-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 214 times per million words; the 471st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is stay?
Stay appears 214 times per million words in written English, the 471st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce stay?
- /steɪ/
- /ste/
- /stei/
Stay has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-stay.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of stay
- stays present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- staying participle, present
- stayed participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
- stayer comparative
- more stay comparative
- stayest superlative
- most stay superlative
- stey
- stee
- steigh
- sti
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does stay mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To remain in a particular place, especially for a definite or short period of time; sojourn; abide.
We stayed in Hawaii for a week. I can only stay for an hour.
- 2
To continue to have a particular quality.
Wear gloves so your hands stay warm.
- 3
To prop; support; sustain; hold up; steady.
- 4
To support from sinking; to sustain with strength; to satisfy in part or for the time.
- 5
To stop; detain; keep back; delay; hinder.
- 6
To restrain; withhold; check; stop.
- 7
To cause to cease; to put an end to.
- 8
To put off; defer; postpone; delay; keep back.
The governor stayed the execution until the appeal could be heard.
- 9
To brace or support with a stay or stays
stay a mast
- 10
To incline forward, aft, or to one side by means of stays.
- 11
To tack; put on the other tack.
to stay ship
- 12
To change; tack; go about; be in stays, as a ship.
noun
- 1
Continuance or a period of time spent in a place; abode for an indefinite time.
I hope you enjoyed your stay in Hawaii.
- 2
A postponement, especially of an execution or other punishment.
The governor granted a stay of execution.
- 3
archaicA stop; a halt; a break or cessation of action, motion, or progress.
stand at a stay
- 4
A fixed state; fixedness; stability; permanence.
- 5
A station or fixed anchorage for vessels.
- 6
Restraint of passion; prudence; moderation; caution; steadiness; sobriety.
- 7
obsoleteHindrance; let; check.
- 8
A prop; a support.
April 27, 1823, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Table Talk Lord Liverpool is the single stay of this ministry.
- 9
A piece of stiff material, such as plastic or whalebone, used to stiffen a piece of clothing.
Where are the stays for my collar?
- 10
A corset.
- 11
archaicA fastening for a garment; a hook; a clasp; anything to hang another thing on.
- 12
A strong rope or wire supporting a mast, and leading from one masthead down to some other, or other part of the vessel.
- 13
A guy, rope, or wire supporting or stabilizing a platform, such as a bridge, a pole, such as a tentpole, the mast of a derrick, or other structural element.
The engineer insisted on using stays for the scaffolding.
- 14
The transverse piece in a chain-cable link.
particle
- 1
Aspect marker indicating frequency or permanence.
He stay fighting.
adjective
- 1
UKSteep; ascending.
- 2
UK(of a roof) Steeply pitched.
- 3
UKDifficult to negotiate; not easy to access; sheer.
- 4
UKStiff; upright; unbending; reserved; haughty; proud.
adverb
- 1
UKSteeply.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Stay in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rester, demeurer , séjour |
| German | sich aufhalten, bleiben , Aufenthalt , aufschieben, vertagen, aussetzen |
| Portuguese | ficar, permanecer , estada, estadia , continuar, manter |
| Spanish | quedar, quedarse, hospedarse, permanecer, ficar , mantenerse |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does stay come from?
From Middle English steyen, staien, from Old French estayer, estaier (“to fix, prop up, support, stay”), from estaye, estaie (“a prop, stay”), from Middle Dutch staeye (“a prop, stay”), a contracted form of staede, stade (“a prop, stay, help, aid”) (compare Middle Dutch staeyen, staeden (“to make firm, stay, support, hold still, stabilise”)), from Proto-West Germanic *stadi (“a site, place, location, standing”), from Proto-Germanic *stadiz (“a standing, place”), from Proto-Indo-European *stéh₂tis (“standing”). Influenced by Old English stæġ ("a stay, rope"; see below).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).